Refrigeration Industry Sector
AHRI's membership is divided into four broad groups called Industry Sectors, each overseen by a Leadership Council. The Sector scope, membership, and related standards and certification programs are listed below.
Refrigeration Sector Scope
Equipment designed and used in refrigeration applications. Equipment includes, but is not limited to, both open and closed type storage and display refrigerators, freezers, refrigerators/freezers, walk-in refrigerators, walk-in freezers, commercial unit coolers, condensing units, air-cooled/evaporative condensers, remote condensers, blast coolers/freezers, and packaged refrigeration units. All types of mechanical refrigeration systems designed for installation in Railway freight cars, trucks and trailers and U.S. Domestic (demountable truck body) containers over 64 square feet floor area. Automatic ice makers, ice storage bins, ice dispensers of all sizes, and all combination ice machines, including combination ice machines and beverage dispensers, sold for use in commercial applications.
The sector also includes companies that manufacture chemical compounds that have significant applications in conjunction with the manufacture, operation, or service of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, and containers and equipment used to transport, store, or process these chemicals or who reclaim recovered refrigerants to the AHRI purity specifications. Compressors and compressor units designed for HVACR equipment and building systems, Controllers and auxiliary control devices, which are primarily designed to aid in unattended operation, energy efficiency, electric utility demand reduction, cloud connectivity, fault detection and diagnosis, cybersecurity or safety in the operation of components of comfort conditioning equipment, commercial and industrial refrigeration equipment and Air and combustion gas moving devices, consisting of impellers, motors, and associated components, produced for other manufacturers in the air-conditioning, heating, and refrigeration industry.
Specifically excluded are parts, components, or products included within the scope of other AHRI product sectors, and equipment designed specifically for:
- Medical, scientific, or research purposes
- Telecommunications and switchgear
- Direct expansion application using refrigerants classified as B2 and B3 in ASHRAE Standard 34
The Refrigeration Sector includes both products and components.
Products
Automatic ice makers, ice storage bins, ice dispensers of all sizes, and all combination ice machines, including combination ice machines and beverage dispensers, sold for use in commercial applications.
Air cooled and evaporative condensers primarily, but not exclusively, using ammonia-based refrigerants. For reference: Air-cooled refrigerant condensers, remote type, which consists of a condensing coil, a means for air circulation (including drive if furnished), frame and enclosure.
Evaporative condensers which consist of a condensing coil, spray system and pump (if furnished), a means for air circulation (including drive if furnished), frame and enclosure.
Chemical compounds that have significant application in conjunction with the manufacture, operation, or service of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, and containers and equipment used to transport, store, or process these chemicals.
Reclaim recovered refrigerants to the purity specifications outlined in the current version of AHRI Standard 700 (Specification for Fluorocarbon Refrigerants). The process can be used to reclaim customer-owned refrigerants or to reclaim used refrigerant that will subsequently be sold to third parties. Specifically excluded are refrigerants synthesized from virgin materials.
Dedicated condensing unit means a positive displacement condensing unit that is part of a refrigeration system (as defined in 10 CFR 431.302) and is a factory-made assembly that (1) includes 1 or more compressors, a condenser, and one refrigeration circuit and (2) is designed to serve one refrigerated load.
Matched condensing unit is a dedicated condensing unit that is distributed in commerce with one or more unit cooler(s) specified by the condensing unit manufacturer.
Outdoor condensing unit means a dedicated condensing unit or matched condensing unit that is encased and is capable of maintaining the medium temperature or low temperature DOE test procedure box conditions (as specified in 10 CFR Part 431.304) for an extended period at the 35 degree F outdoor temperature condition.
Industrial unit Coolers primarily using ammonia-based refrigerants. For reference: A unit cooler is a factory-made assembly, including means for forced air circulation and elements by which heat is transferred from air to refrigerant without any element external to the cooler imposing air resistance. These may also be referred to as air coolers, cooling units, air units or evaporators. Commercial unit coolers are considered separately under WCIF applications.
- Shell-and-tube, shell-and-U-tube, tube-in-tube, and shell-and-coil condensers
- Shell-and-tube, shell-and-U-tube, tube-in-tube, and shell-and-coil liquid coolers
- Liquid suction heat exchangers
- Liquid receivers
- Plate-type heat exchangers
A Refrigeration Rack is a piece of OEM refrigerating equipment that is a subsystem of a larger field assembled refrigerating system. It consists of one or more Compressor or Compressor Unit components along with associated accessory components or sub-subsystems, (such as the oil management systems, piping manifolds, control valves, etc). A Refrigeration Rack must also include hardware and software that control not only the Compressor or Compressor Unit components but also other subsystems that are not physically located within the rack that form the rest of the refrigeration system, (such as the condenser, evaporator cases etc). As a subsystem of a larger refrigeration system, Refrigeration Racks are typically sold by the OEM to the end-user.
An open or closed cabinet, used in a commercial application, cooled by a refrigerating system for displaying, or storing, chilled and/or frozen product. Self-contained commercial display merchandisers and storage cabinets have the condensing unit mounted in, or on, the unit. Remote commercial display merchandisers and storage cabinets do not have the condensing unit mounted in, or on, the unit. Specifically excluded are parts, components, or products included within the scope of other AHRI product types, and equipment designed specifically for:
- Medical, scientific, or research purposes
- Telecommunications and switchgear
- Direct expansion application using refrigerants classified as B2 and B3 in ASHRAE Standard 34.
All types of mechanical refrigeration systems designed for installation in:
- Railway freight cars
- Trucks and trailers
- U.S. domestic (demountable truck body) containers over 64 square feet floor area
An enclosed storage space refrigerated to temperatures, respectively, above, and at or below 32 °F that can be walked into, and has a total chilled storage area of less than 3,000 ft2. Equipment includes, but is not limited to, walk-in refrigerators, walk-in freezers, commercial unit coolers, condensing units, air-cooled/evaporative condensers, blast coolers/freezers, and packaged refrigeration units. Specifically excluded are parts, components, or products included within the scope of other AHRI product types, and equipment designed specifically for:
- Medical, scientific, or research purposes
- Telecommunications and switchgear
- Direct expansion application using refrigerants classified as B2 and B3 in ASHRAE Standard 34
Commercial unit coolers primarily using refrigerants other than ammonia for commercial refrigeration applications. For reference: A unit cooler is a factory-made assembly, including means for forced air circulation and elements by which heat is transferred from air to refrigerant without any element external to the cooler imposing air resistance. These may also be referred to as air coolers, cooling units, air units or evaporators.
Single-packaged refrigeration system (single-packaged). A Matched Refrigeration System that is a Single-packaged assembly that includes one or more compressors, a condenser, a means for forced circulation of refrigerated air, and elements by which heat is transferred from air to refrigerant, without any element external to the system imposing resistance to flow of the refrigerated air.
Doors and panels used in WICF applications.
Door means a movable panel that separates the interior volume of a unit of commercial refrigeration equipment from the ambient environment and is designed to facilitate access to the refrigerated space for the purpose of loading and unloading product. This includes hinged doors, sliding doors, and drawers. This does not include night curtains.
Panel means a construction component that is not a door and is used to construct the envelope of the walk-in, i.e., elements that separate the interior refrigerated environment of the walk-in from the exterior.
Display panel means a panel that is entirely or partially comprised of glass, a transparent material, or both and is used for display purposes.
Cooling equipment designed for an enclosed storage space used for the long-term cooling and storing of wine.
Components
Air and combustion gas moving devices, consisting of impellers, motors, and associated components, produced for other HVACR manufacturers.
Chemical compounds that have significant application in conjunction with the manufacture, operation, or service of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, and containers and equipment used to transport, store, or process these chemicals.
Reclaim recovered refrigerants to the purity specifications outlined in the current version of AHRI Standard 700 (Specification for Fluorocarbon Refrigerants). The process can be used to reclaim customer-owned refrigerants or to reclaim used refrigerant that will subsequently be sold to third parties. Specifically excluded are refrigerants synthesized from virgin materials.
Compressors and compressor units designed for use in HVACR equipment and building systems and not included in another product scope, with the specific exclusion of compressors and compressor units intended for use in:
- Household refrigerators
- Farm and home freezers
- Automotive air conditioners
- Room air conditioners
- Household dehumidifiers
Controllers and auxiliary control devices, which are primarily designed to aid in unattended operation, energy efficiency, electric utility demand reduction, cloud connectivity, fault detection & diagnosis, cyber security or safety in the operation of components of comfort conditioning equipment, commercial and industrial refrigeration equipment covered by the scopes of AHRI product types. Such devices are to be responsive to, but not limited to, one or more of the following conditions: time, temperature, pressure, humidity, fluid flow, air quality (this includes all air contaminants including leaked refrigerants), current, voltage, or, power, and demand reduction or pricing signals.
Specifically excluded are:
- General purpose motor starters and circuit breakers.
- All low voltage thermostats.
- Component controllers and auxiliary controlling devices used in equipment not covered by AHRI product scopes, e.g. automotive and recreational vehicles, domestic refrigerators, freezers, and room air conditioners.
- Gas controls
Manufacturers of solenoid valves; 2-, 3-, 4-way reversing valves; thermostatic, electronic and automatic expansion valves of all capacities; temperature and pressure regulating valves, which function alone or in combination with other controls or sources, that are designed primarily for the purpose of automatically controlling refrigerant flow (liquids or gases) or the flow of fluids supporting the refrigeration cycle in refrigeration or air conditioning systems.
All manually operated valves used to control the flow of refrigerant or flow of fluids supporting the refrigeration cycle.
Sealed filter-driers having solid core desiccant, loose-fill desiccant, or a combination of the two; replaceable core filter-driers for use in liquid or vapor refrigerant lines; sealed or replaceable element suction filters; cores or elements for shells; receiver driers; strainers; and liquid or moisture-liquid indicators.
These products alone or in combination are intended for use primarily in refrigeration or air conditioning systems for the purpose of detecting and/or removing system contaminants.
Excluded are devices used with:
- Automotive and recreational vehicle air conditioning
- Domestic refrigerators/freezers, and Individual room air conditioners not included in the scopes of AHRI air conditioning product types
- Hydronic system flow control valves that are included with hydronics products
All low voltages, 690 volts ac and below, adjustable frequency motor controllers used in HVACR applications shall be included. Specifically excluded are brushless DC motor controllers and external control automation.
Members
FluoroFusion Specialty Chemicals, Inc.
Heat Transfer Products Group, LLC (HTPG)
Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration LLC
Honeywell Performance Materials & Technologies
John's Technology of Engin and Cooling
National Refrigeration Products
Nidec Global Appliance North America Inc
Shanghai Highly Electrical Appliances Co., LTD
Shrieve Chemical Products, LLC
SPX Cooling Technologies, Inc.
Structural Concepts Corporation
Thermal Solutions Products, LLC
United Technologies Electronic Controls
Zamil Central Air Conditioners Co. LLC
Standards and Guidelines
Air-Cooled and Evaporative Condensers
- ANSI/AHRI 460-2005, Performance Rating of Remote, Mechanical-Draft Air-cooled Refrigerant Condensers
- ANSI/AHRI 490 (I-P)-2011 and ANSI/AHRI 491 (SI)-2011, Performance Rating of Remote Mechanical-draft Evaporatively-Cooled Refrigerant Condensers
Automatic Commercial Ice Makers
- AHRI 810 (I-P) and AHRI 811 (SI)-2016 with Addendum 1 (January 2018), Performance Rating of Automatic Commercial Ice-makers
Chemicals and Refrigerant Reclaimers
Guidelines
- AHRI Guideline K (2015), Containers for Recovered Non-flammable Fluorocarbon Refrigerants
- AHRI Guideline M (2020), Unique Fittings and Service Ports for Flammable Refrigerant Use
- AHRI Guideline N (2017), Assignment of Refrigerant Container Colors
Standards
- PRGE
- ANSI/AHRI 580 (2014), Non-condensable Gas Purge Equipment for Use with Low Pressure Centrifugal Liquid Chillers
- RRRE
- AHRI 740 (2016), Performance Rating of Refrigerant Recovery Equipment and Recovery/Recycling Equipment
- RTL/RECL
- AHRI 700 (2017), Specifications for Refrigerants with Addendum 1
- AHRI 700C (2008), Appendix C to AHRI Standard 700-Analytical Procedures for AHRI Standard 700-2014
- AHRI 700D (2012), Appendix D Gas Chromatograms for AHRI Standard 700-2014-Informative
Compressors
- ANSI/AHRI 510-2006, Performance Rating of Positive Displacement Ammonia Compressors and Compressor Units
- CAN/ANSI/AHRI 540 (I-P and SI)-2015, Performance Rating of Positive Displacement Refrigerant Compressors and Compressor Units
- AHRI Standard 545-2017, Performance Rating of Modulating Positive Displacement Refrigerant Compressors
- ANSI/AHRI 570 (I-P)-2012 and ANSI/AHRI 571 (SI)-2012, Performance Rating of Positive Displacement Carbon Dioxide Refrigerant Compressors and Compressor Units
- Proposed AHRI 1520P, Performance Rating of Centrifugal Compressors
Condensing Units
- AHRI 450-2007, Performance Rating of Water-cooled Refrigerant Condensers, Remote Type
- ANSI/AHRI 520-2004, Performance Rating of Positive Displacement Condensing Units
Flow and Contaminant Control Products
- ANSI/AHRI 710 (I-P)-2009 and ANSI/AHRI 711 (SI)-2009, Performance Rating of Liquid-line Driers
- ANSI/AHRI 715 (I-P)-2014 and ANSI/AHRI 716 (SI)-2014, Performance Rating of Liquid-line Filters
- ANSI/AHRI 730 (I-P)-2013 and ANSI/AHRI 731 (SI)-2013, Flow Capacity Rating of Suction-line Filters & Suction-line Filter Driers
- AHRI 750 (I-P)-2016 and AHRI 751 (SI)-2016, Performance Rating of Thermostatic Refrigeration Expansion Valves
- ANSI/AHRI 760 (I-P)-2014 and ANSI/AHRI 761 (SI)-2014, Performance Rating of Solenoid Valves for Use with Volatile Refrigerants
- ANSI/AHRI 770 (I-P)-2014 and ANSI/AHRI 771 (SI)-2014, Performance Rating of Refrigerant Pressure Regulating Valves
- AHRI Standards 1370 (I-P) and AHRI 1371 (SI)-2017, Performance Rating of Electronic Expansion Valves
Ice Storage Bins
- AHRI Standard 820 (I-P)-2017 and AHRI Standard 821 (SI)-2017, Performance Rating of Ice Storage Bins
Liquid to Refrigerant Heat Exchangers
- ANSI/AHRI 470-2006, Performance Rating of Desuperheater/Water Heaters
- AHRI 480-2007, Performance Rating of Remote Type Refrigerant-cooled Liquid Coolers
- ANSI/AHRI 495-2005, Performance Rating of Refrigerant Liquid Receivers
Self-Contained/Remote Commercial Display Merchandisers and Storage Units
- ANSI/AHRI 1200 (I-P)-2013 and ANSI/AHRI 1201 (SI)-2013, Performance Rating of Commercial Refrigerated Display Merchandisers and Storage Cabinets
- ANSI/AHRI 1320 (I-P)-2011 and ANSI/AHRI 1321 (SI)-2011, Performance Rating of Commercial Refrigerated Display Merchandisers and Storage Cabinets for use With Secondary Refrigerants
Transport Refrigeration
- ANSI/AHRI 1110 (I-P)-2013 and ANSI/AHRI 1111 (SI)-2013, Performance Rating of Mechanical Transport Refrigeration Units
Unit Coolers
- AHRI Standard 420 (I-P)-2016 and AHRI 421 (SI)-2016, Performance Rating of Forced-Circulation Free-delivery Unit Coolers for Refrigeration
Walk-in Coolers/Freezers
- ANSI/AHRI 1250 (I-P)-2014 with Errata and ANSI/AHRI 1251 (SI)-2014 with Errata, Performance Rating of Walk-in Coolers and Freezers